Sleeping-car



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. P. B. WHIPPLE.

Sleeping Gar.

No. 234,899. Patented Nov. 30,1880.

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P. B. WHIPPLE.

Sleeping Oar. i

No. 234,899. y Patented Nov. 30,1880.v

ATM-:5555, WJEIJIDR JWM/i6. MLN@ i l ATN Nirnn STAT-Es FRANK B. VHIPPLE, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SLEEPING-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,899, dated November 30, 1880. Application filed February 28, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. WHIPPLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Car Seats and Gars; |and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or iigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention consists in providing means whereby the car-seats of an ordinarycar ordaycoach may be adjusted so as to form beds, thus enabling an ordinary day-coach to serve as a sleeping-car.

A second part of my invention consists in providing devices to be attached to the side of the car, so that it can be divided into compartments.

My invention will fully appear in the following description and claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as follows: Figure l is an elevation of four car-seats, looking from the aisle, of which two are in position as seats for day use and two are shown as converted into a bed, and one of the folding partitions is shown extended and in position to form one end of a compartment. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of one side of the car, and shows a side elevation ofone of the folding partitions as extended. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the frame-work of the seats.

My convertible seats, when in use as seats, are hardly distinguishable from ordinary carseats. They can be reversed, so as to face in either direction, and have all the characteristics of ordinary carseats. When used for sleeping purposes the back and seat of one seat and the seat of the other seat form the horizontal part of the couch, while the back of the second seat is placed at an angle to serve as a pillow or raised head-part of the couch similar to lounges. lf, however, it is not desired to have the head part raised, the device may be so' constructed as to have the four parts of the two seats lie horizontal; but as it is expected that cars equipped with these seats will not be furnished with bed-clothing, &c., but will be -designed and used for affording cheap sleeping accommodations, it will be desirable that the head part of the conch be raised slightly to serve as a pillow.

I am aware that in most, if not all, forms of sleeping-cars the backs and seats of the carseats form the bed by being brought to a horizontal position; that when so adjusted they are supported between the seatframes by a ledge on the side of the carat one side, and by a rave or rail which is in the form of a slide, and draws out of the seatbody on the other side or aisle side of the bed; but the sea-ts of sleeping-cars are not reversible, they face each other in pairs, and between each pair is a permanent back of wood, which forms the head or foot board of the bed or berth, and the seat and back cushions are loose and removable.

In the ordinary reversible day-coach seat the back is provided with a rigid T-iron of proper length, and by this th ey are pivoted to the arms of the seat and can be reversed by turning on this pivot; but the angle of the back when in position for use cannot be changed, nor can the back be brought to a horizontal position on the seat-line.

- In order to enable the back of the seat to .be reversible, as in an ordinary day-coach seat, and also to be so it can be laid fiat or placed at an angle so as to form, in one case, a part of the horizontal part of the bed, and-in the other case to form the inclined head part of the bed, I'substitute for the T-iron a link which is pivoted at one end to the seatframe, as is the T-iron, and at the other end it is pivoted to the seat-back.

In the drawings, A represents the seat-frame; B, the seat-back; C, the seat-bottom; D, the swinging bar, which forms a support for the seat-bottom when in place for forming a bed; E, the rave or rail along the side of the car, which forms a support for the opposite end of the seat-bottoms. L is the link above referred to, which is pivoted at one end to the seatframe, as at a, and at the other end to the seatback, as at l).

F is a folding partition to divide the car into sections. His a bolt orcatch for securing the seat-back in various positions.

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When the seat-back is in position for forining a seat, as at the right of Fig. l, its lower edge rests in notches formed in the seat-frame at the proper place, or it may be secured in proper place by a bolt or catch or any other convenient device; and when the car-seat is in this position the seat-bottom is adjusted precisely the same as in any ordinary carseat.

rIhe bar D, when the car-seat is in use as a seat, is folded against the front rail, D', of the seat-frame, as seen in Fig. 2, and in Fig. 3 it is shown as nearly folded.

To make a proper-appearing finish the rail D is ledged so as to receive the bar D, as shown in Fig. 3. This swinging bar D, when in position for converting the seats into a bed, rests its free end in any proper form of catch on the side of the seat-frame in front ofthe one to which it is hinged.

At the left of Fig. l the seats are shown as converted into a bed. It will then be seen that the two seat-bottoms are drawn together. One seat-back is lying iiat, and the other nearly so. The width of the two seat-bottoms and the back is such that all four cannot lie tlat. Either seat-back may lic iiat, but not both, while the seat-bottoms are both in between them. Of course, if the width of these parts was changed properly they could all lie iiat at once, as is the case in an ordinary sleeping-car; but, as before stated, the construction shown in the drawing` is desirable in cars which are intended to afford cheap sleeping` accommodations, as by it the head is raised sufficiently to avoid the use of pillows.

If desired, the backs, when in the position for forming a bed, may be secured by a bolt or catch, as by the bolt H shown; but I do not desire to be limited to any forni of bolt or catch device for this or any other ofthe places or parts named, as this construction and applicaticn may be varied indefinitely.

The folding partition is in the form of an ordinary folding fan, and is clearly shown in Fig. 2, and requires no further description. 1t folds into a recess in the side of the car, and when folded forms an ornamental panel. This partition may be used or not, as desired.

It will be observed that any two adjoining seats may be formed into a bed, whilein sleeping-cars as at present constructed this is not the case. Ot' course, if the partitions F are used, it will be necessary to always make certain pairs of seats into beds in order to accommodate them to the partitions, unless the partitions are placed between all the seats, when such could be used as would properly screen the beds.

I am aware of the patents'to A. Barbarin, July 13, 1869, and H. S. Blood, November 23, 1569, and do not claim as new any of the features therein shown. In each of thesepatents a double-jointed link is used, butin neither case is it the same a-s mine, for I use no slots in Iny links, and the pivots of the links are stationary. In each of the patents cited above the backs of the seats when used as a bed lie flat between the seats, while in my device the backs'lie iiat npon the seat-frames, and the bottoms ot' Vthe seats are placed between the seat-frames o n the support formed by the swinging bar. The advantage of my construction is that the double-pivoted links,having no slots for changing the relative position of the pivots, `as in the other cases, are much simpler and more durable, and easier adjusted from one position to the other.

What I claim as new isl. In a railroz'id-car sea-t, the back connected to the ends or trame by donble-pivoted nonextensible links with pivot-holes, as described, whereby the said back may be reversed, as in an ordinary car-seat, or may be laid flat upon the seat-frame, or as nearly so as desired, so as to form part of a bed, substantially as set forth.

2. In a railroad-car, the seats formed with movable bottoms and backs, which are pivoted to the frame or ends of the seat by doublejointed non-extensible links or bars with pivotholes, as described. whereby any two adjoining seats can be formed into a bed by placing said backs in a horizontal, or nearly horizontal, position upon the seat-frame, and adjusting the two movable bottoms beside them between the seats, substantially as set forth.

3. The folding partition F, constructed and arranged to operate substantially asA and for the purposes mentioned.

In testimony whereofl I aiiix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

FRANK B. WHIPPLE.

Witnesses:

SAM. Woons, JNO. K. HALLocK.

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